KENYA — Kenya’s efforts towards achieving universal healthcare have taken a significant leap forward with the announcement of a partnership with Univercells, a Belgian biotech company, to establish a biotechnology center in Nairobi.
President William Ruto disclosed this ambitious plan during his visit to Univercells Group’s biotech center in Belgium, accompanied by the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Dr. Nakhumicha S. Wafula.
This groundbreaking development is a significant step towards providing affordable and accessible healthcare to all Kenyans.
The biotechnology center will focus on the manufacturing of vaccines and drugs, with the aim of making healthcare services more accessible and affordable to Kenyans.
Moreover, the partnership will include skills transfer to enhance the country’s human capital in the pharmaceutical industry, ensuring that the project has a lasting impact.
This collaboration between Kenya and Univercells is a vital milestone in the country’s journey towards achieving universal healthcare.
By leveraging the latest biotechnology solutions and working with industry leaders like Univercells, Kenya is poised to achieve its goal of providing quality healthcare services to all its citizens.
During President Ruto’s visit to Univercells, he welcomed Belgian investors to Kenya and emphasized that Kenya offers a conducive business environment.
The Minister of Development Cooperation and of Major Cities Caroline Gennez and Minister-President of Wallonia Elio Di Rupo accompanied the President.
Ms. Gennez expressed Belgium’s interest in decentralizing the production of drugs to help Kenya and other African states achieve universal healthcare. She added that technology transfer could truly change the world.
Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) is part of the new initiative with Unizima and other partners that seeks to establish a Bio-manufacturing Training Hub in the country.
Other founding partners in this initiative include Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH), Kenya BioVax Institute, Egerton University, and Pharmacy and Poison Board.
Unizima will provide leading organizations in Kenya with expertise, advisory support, training, and technology transfer.
This project is aligned with the government’s agenda of advancing the economic pillar of local manufacturing and the development objective of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
It also supports the Africa CDC’s vision of building manufacturing capacity in Africa to produce at least 1.5 billion vaccine doses per year by 2040, enabling the African vaccine-manufacturing industry to develop, produce, and supply over 60 percent of the total vaccine doses required on the continent by 2040, up from less than 1 percent.
Unizima’s work in the region and Univercells’ deep connection with the Belgian and European biomanufacturing ecosystem were fundamental to the Kenyan government’s decision to partner with the Group.
Additionally, the Kenyan government showed interest in Univercells’ GMP manufacturing facilities and the group’s know-how and technological capabilities deployed in South Africa through the mRNA technology transfer Hub program co-led by the World Health Organization and the Medicines Patent Pool.
Kenya has already been selected to participate in the WHO mRNA program, with the Kenya BioVax Institute designated as one of the six “spokes” in Africa.
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